- Impact of cohort research
- Alcohol consumption
- Aspirations at school
- Cohorts and crime
- Diet at an early age
- Emotional wellbeing
- Escaping childhood poverty
- Family separation
- Impact of smoking on newborns
- Maternal stress in pregnancy
- Rising obesity
- Social disadvantage and health
- Social mobility
- Teenage parents
Cohorts and crime
Cohort research has influenced the Government's thinking on the causes of offending and the need for early intervention.
Research using birth cohort study data for the Basic Skills Agency revealed that having poor literacy (for men) and poor numeracy (for women) directly increased the risk of offending. Poor literacy scores in early life had a statistically significant relationship with the number of time men reported being stopped and questioned by police and arrested. The report, Basic Skills and Crime [1], also revealed a statistically significant connection between repeated offending and poor literacy. In terms of protective factors, the research showed that enjoying school and parenting skills protected against early involvement in anti-social behaviour amongst boys. Boys are less likely to be in trouble with the police where they have 'involved' fathers. This relationship persisted when several factors associated with teenage delinquency were taken into account [2].
The Youth Crime Action Plan [3] and Aiming High for Young People [4] are specific government initiatives that have been introduced. Both have been underpinned by cohort evidence to promote strong parental interaction with children as a way of reducing offending behaviour.
References
- Parsons S (2002), Basic Skills and Crime, Basic Skills Agency
- Flouri E and Buchanan A (2002) 'Father involvement in childhood and trouble with the police in adolescence: findings from the 1958 British Cohort', Journal of Interpersonal Violence. 17 689-701.
- Youth Crime Action Plan, HM Government, 2008 (PDF, 700Kb)
- Aiming High for Young People, Department for Children, Schools and Families, 2007 (PDF, 756Kb)
